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The Swiss System(s): Overview and Characteristics

Markus Diebold, IZB, Updated by IBB of Central Overview

. Switzerland languages – cantons – education systems . The Education Systems in Switzerland • Compulsory education • Upper • Higher education . The Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK) . of Teacher Education Switzerland: Basic Data

. Population: 7.9 Mio. in 2010 (in 1900: 3.3 Mio.), of whom 22.4 % are not Swiss citizens . Area: 41,285 km2 . Life expectancy at birth:  79.8 /  84.4 years . No. of children per woman: 1.40 Switzerland: 4 National Languages Languages Spoken in Switzerland

1. German (63.67 %) 2. French (20.38 %) 3. Italian (6.46 %) 4. Serbian and Croatian (1.53 %) 5. Albanian (1.30 %) 6. Portuguese (1.23 %) 7. Spanish (1.06 %) 8. English (1.01 %) 9. Turkish (0.61 %) 10.Raetho-Romanic (0.48 %) 11.Other Slavic languages (0.32 %) 12.Other languages (1.95 %)

Source: FSO, census 2000 Photo: Marlies Keller The 26 26 cantonal ministries of education

. Federalism (sovereignty of the cantons) and decentralisation (high local responsibilities) . No national Ministry of Education, but 26 cantonal ones

Total No. of No. of Education population teachers students

Zurich 1,307,600 8,420 122,897

Zug 109,100 991 10,898

Appenzell-I.Rh. 15‘500 175 2,060

Switzerland 7,593,500 75,878 788,072 (no MoE)

Source: FSO, 2007 (data for primary and secondary schools, grade 1 to 9)

The Education System(s) in Switzerland

Compulsory education Compulsory

Source: www.educa.ch Compulsory Education

Pre-school level (, 1 or 2 years) . At least one year of kindergarten compulsory in 15 cantons, optional in 11 cantons . Starting age: 4 years old . Focus on social issues . Training of pre-school teachers now at Universities of Teacher Education (B.A.)

Compulsory Education

Primary level . Class teacher principle . Foreign languages in most Swiss German cantons: • First foreign language: Grade 3 (English) • Second foreign language: Grade 5 (French) Foreign languages in most Swiss French cantons: • First foreign language: Grade 3 (German) • Second foreign language: Grade 5 (English)

Compulsory Education

Lower secondary level . Selection according to intellectual capacities (1-4 streams) . Teacher specialisation in 2-4 subjects

General . 95% of the children attend governmental schools (private schools: e.g international schools, schools with specific [Steiner, Montessori etc.]) . Strategically, the cantons are responsible for compulsory education . The operational responsibility is with the municipalities

Compulsory Education

Trends / on-going reforms

. School entrance phase (Basisstufe) 8

• Pre-school  lower primary grades . LP 21: Joint curriculum for all German speaking cantons . HarmoS: Harmonisation of main elements of compulsory education • 11 years by integrating 2 years of pre-school level • Education starts at the age of 4 • Harmonisation of education standards in languages, natural science and mathematics • Organisation of school days: block lessons / day care . Integration of children with special needs Upper Secondary Education

. schools () . Specialised middle schools (Fachmittelschulen) . and training (Berufsbildung)

Characteristics . 90% of the Swiss teenagers achieve a degree at upper secondary level . About 20 % of Swiss children attend matura schools . Maturity certificates of any canton are valid for admission to all Swiss universities . High flexibility of Swiss education system: Career modifications possible

Higher education

. Universities

. Universities of Applied Science

. Universities of Teacher Education

. Higher vocational education

Characteristics . Bologna system implemented . All schools are governmental institutions . EU mobility programmes (i.e. Erasmus) in place

Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK)

. Coordination of educational policy at national level . Political body consisting of 26 cantonal ministers of education . Instruments of the EDK: • Binding intercantonal agreements (concordats) • Recommendations

Source:www.edk.ch Universities of Teacher Education

. 13 Universities of Teacher Education in Switzerland . Established in 2002-2004 (successor institutions of 96 teacher training colleges, half of them at upper secondary level) . Development of new system took around 15 years University of Teacher Education Central Switzerland

. Supported by the six cantons of Central Switzerland, , , , , Uri, . . Three sites: Lucerne, Schwyz, Zug University of Teacher Education Central Switzerland . Pre-service teacher education for the pre-school, primary, and lower secondary level . In-service teacher education . Supplementary training for teachers (e.g. DAS, CAS, MAS) -> CAS and MAS in School management . Research and development . Services in the area of schools and education (e.g. e-learning support, drama education, diversity education)

Size (2008): . 1440 student, 375 academic staff . Average costs per student: € 20’000-25’000 . Every student pays € 900 per year So what is special about the Swiss school system(s)?

. Federalistic: • 26 ministries of education -> takes into account cultural differences between cantons (4 different languages/cultural areas) • Schools run by municipalities . Good system of apprenticeships combined with vocational education . 90 % children obtain a degree at upper secondary level (at age of 18/19) . System with a high degree of flexibility . Free choice of universities for students with a matura (no ranking of universities)

Thank you for your attention!